Instant Analytics for CRM

SAP CRM RDS for Analytics helps companies make sense of all the information (image: fotolia)

You say that your customer relationship management (CRM) system runs perfectly well: it continuously collects up-to-the-minute information on customer decisions and buying patterns, churning all of that information into… into what, exactly? If you suspect that you’re not realizing the full power of your CRM system, you’re not alone.

A recent survey of chief marketing officers (CMOs) by the IBM Institute for Business Value (Today’s CMO: Innovating or following?, March 2011) highlighted the value-eroding effects of information overload and speed-of-change business demands on CRM initiatives. The study concluded that solving these problems is a matter of knowing which CRM tools to use and how. For real insight into customer decisions and buying patterns, it advised deploying CRM analytics – even calling CRM analytics a “must” for the CMO toolkit.

The race goes to the well-equipped victor

Many marketing decision-makers however appear to be without the proper tools to claim victory through their CRM. In the IBM study, they reported that they know what should be measured, but know little about the value proposition or the best way to implement CRM analytics. As a result many CMOs push off deployments to the “3-5 year plan.” Surprisingly, at least 67% of CMOs report delaying deployments of CRM analytics until 2013 because of a lack of knowledge and resources. If only they knew of a faster way.

In August, SAP released the SAP CRM Rapid Deployment solution for Analytics, a preconfigured solution that gives CMOs a low-cost, fixed-scope way to put CRM analytics to work quickly in their organizations. This solution provides business users with actionable insight to improve sales, marketing, and service effectiveness. It is supported by a rapid deployment service package that eliminates guesswork with a fixed scope and price. Best of all, it can be up and running in as little as four weeks.

SAP Rapid Deployment solutions are not a competing product line. This is SAP’s way to help its customers get the most out of their CRM investment in the least amount of time.

“Customers want to experience SAP immediately,” said Robert Viehmann, Senior Vice President, SAP Solution Assembly and Packaging. “With Rapid Deployment solutions, we deliver real business power quickly so decision makers and users in all areas, now and in the future, can benefit.”

Bill Bowers, vice president of SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions GTM (Go To Market), says, “SAP Rapid Deployment solutions have established and strengthened customer trust in SAP by providing predictability to customers.” And this predictability has a real benefit for SAP customers, as Bowers points out, “By fixing the scope of Rapid Deployment solutions, SAP and SAP-approved delivery partners have a predefined project plan, timeline, and resource requirements to ensure customers are not surprised while they implement.”

The payoff comes in the form of a lower total cost of implementation of up to 20%, and reductions in the total cost of ownership of up to 40%. Jeff Winter, vice president of Marketing, SAP Services and SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions, says analysts find rapid deployment solutions extremely compelling for customers because “customers are now able to go live with SAP software usually in less than one quarter, and at a predictable cost and timeframe.”

Touch at your own risk

A customer relationship is affected by multiple interactions, emails, website experiences, phone calls, order processing, service visits, helpdesk interactions, tweets, and chats. Each interaction creates a customer touch point (source: McKinsey Quarterly, 2011). And every touch point offers a data point. That can add up to a lot of data to consider.

Customer perceptions are complicated. That’s why analytics are important. The customer can overlook a negative experience in one area for a positive experience in another area, depending on his need. Over time, what that customer tolerates, accepts, or rejects can change overnight and put the organization at risk. CRM reporting and analytics are needed to understand changes, make timely adjustments, and rescue that experience from the competition.The SAP CRM Rapid Deployment solution for analytics is designed to support this by enabling CMOs to monitor and adjust plans to influence touch points, drive sales revenue, and connect critical marketing and service investments to the business results.

Deliverables you can use

The rapid-deployment solution for SAP CRM Analytics includes essential activation and configuration of the full SAP CRM analytics functionality, including leads, campaigns, and opportunities. Shobhit Jain, the rollout manager for SAP CRM Rapid Deployment solution for Analytics, says, “This is an exciting rapid-deployment solution for customers. The solution is designed to facilitate efficient marketing campaigns and campaign performance in terms of ROI and total sales revenue.” He adds, “It also offers analytics for studying lead conversion rates with respect to sales unit.”

These deliverables are easily accessible using real-time dashboards with key performance indicators and reports. With so much to offer, the SAP CRM Rapid Deployment solution for Analytics brings clarity to the chaos and delivers value to CRM initiatives. That clearly helps CMO’s turn confusion into an advantage by leaving the competition in its own fog with a better, faster CRM toolkit.